We are going through unique days in terms of Turkish diplomatic and defense history. The capital is hosting a series of meetings that we could call a 'Summit within a Summit.' Today, we will witness the 'Summit on New Horizons in Turkish-American Relations.' President Tayyip Erdoğan will host US President Donald Trump. An American president will come to Ankara after 17 years.
The two countries will give new meaning and renewed importance to the concept of 'strategic partnership,' which had been hollowed out by the 'US deep state!' in recent years. Let us not forget! Trump is quite resentful, even angry, with NATO's European allies. As he has openly stated, he decided to attend the summit for the sake of President Erdoğan.
Again, thanks to Erdoğan's 'leader diplomacy,' he turned his participation in the NATO session into an official visit to Turkey first. At the NATO Ankara Summit to be held tomorrow, President Erdoğan has a great responsibility. More precisely, the leading European countries expect Erdoğan to convince President Trump, to rein him in, so to speak, so that there is no hesitation about NATO's future.
Erdoğan plans to gift NATO leaders a 'custom-made pistol.' In international relations and cultural protocol, giving a pistol to statesmen symbolizes 'power, alliance, loyalty, and mutual respect.' Naturally, this gift choice, which appears to be the product of the sharp mind of the Presidential Complex's staff, befits the significance of the day.
*** Here, we need to take a closer look at President Trump's Turkey program. Because, thanks to the 'direct line of contact between Erdoğan and Trump,' two issues of critical importance for Ankara have been resolved recently. First, the Syria-YPG problem, which was a matter of national survival, has been put on the path to resolution. While Syria's political sovereignty and territorial integrity have been secured, Turkey's security concerns have also been largely addressed.
Thanks to the Erdoğan-Trump dialogue, which has progressed along a special track, the Halkbank case that had been troubling Turkey was also closed at almost no cost. Now, next on the agenda are the F-110 engines to be procured from the US for the KAAN fighter jets. Essentially, this is also a temporary formula. Until Turkey moves from the development phase of its national engine to mass production, it is possible to adapt these engines, which are used in F-16s, to the KAAN.
Indeed, successful results were also obtained in the first prototype of the KAAN. In addition, the delivery of F-35 aircraft produced for the Turkish Air Force is an indisputable necessity. And finally, Ankara's declaration of intent to be excluded from the scope of the US Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) will herald a new era.
Thus, a window of opportunity could open for the 'Gaza Peace Plan, the search for a Russia-Ukraine agreement, and the Regional Ownership Project in the Middle East.' The topics of 'preserving the peaceful status quo in the Black Sea, building Europe's security architecture, and the fair sharing of hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean' will also reinforce Turkey's central position. *** On this occasion, I would like to touch upon two more points.
First, 'Spouses of Leaders Diplomacy.' The program organized by President Erdoğan's wife Emine Erdoğan at the Çankaya Mansion is very impressive in terms of its humanitarian, cultural, and artistic aspects. The idea of holding a roundtable meeting with the spouses of the heads of state and government who have come to our country on the sidelines of the summit, themed 'Children, Technology, and Security: Protecting the Future Generation,' carries a universal message in itself.
The First Lady will also serve her guests the finest gastronomic delights of Turkish cuisine. Special woven tablecloths reflecting Turkish embroidery art and culture will be laid on the dining tables. The spouses of the leaders will also have the opportunity to closely examine fabrics, weavings, and handcraft collections that carry the visual memory of Mesopotamian, Anatolian, Ottoman, and Turkish states. Second... the performance in media organization.
As a journalist who has covered NATO, G-20, UN, IMF-World Bank, and EU summits, it is our duty to emphasize that the International Media Center set up at the Nation's Library in the Presidential Complex is commendable. A unique standard has been established with its working environment, press conference rooms, broadcast points, examples of Turkish hospitality, and food service.
The impression I got from the foreign press was that NATO Summits should henceforth be held only in Turkey. On this occasion, let us thank the Director of Communications Burhanettin Duran and his team. God willing, this success will continue over the next two days and the Summit will bring blessings for Turkey's interests.
